Separable check means for a balanced door



S p 1968 E. o. HAGLUND SEPARABLE CHECK MEANS FOR A BALANCED DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Oct. 28, 1966 FIG.

INVENTOR ERNEST O. HAGLUND hmmfsmm l I tililllflwllilli ATTORNEY.

p 1968 E. o. HAGLUND 3,402,509

SEPARABLE CHECK MEANS FOR A BALANCED DOOR Filed Oct. 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR E NEST O. H GLUND 77717770141 m AT ORNEY.

United States Patent 3,402,509 SEPARABLE CHEQK MEANS FOR A BALANCED DOOR Ernest 0. Hagiund, Jamestown, N.Y., assignor to Ellison Bronze Co., Inc., Jamestown, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 590,368

11 Claims. (Cl. 49-386) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mounting frame for the closer mechanism in a balanced-type door assembly including an inner section which supports the hinge bearing and a separately removable outer section which supports the closer mechanism.

The invention relates to an improvement in a balancedtype of door combination. Such doors are mounted on a pivotally mounted upper and lower arm, each having a bearing at its outer end which support the door on an axis which is spaced between the vertical edges of the door. A door check means is provided for the door to slow down the speed of closing movement as the door approaches closed position which check means is located within the lintel of the door frame. In order to repair, replace or inspect any part of the check means, it is necessary to remove the door, part of the door frame, and the mounting frame in the lintel of the door in order to get access to the check means. This dismounting and remounting of the door requires skilled workmen and takes considerable time. The balanced-type of door also uses a guide, such as a channel, on the lower face of the mounting frame which is secured to the lintel of the door frame in which channel is received a roller carried by the top edge of the door to guide the door in its swinging movement. The invention also relates to the door mounting mechanism of the balanced-type as well as the mounting frame which is secured in the door lintel and carries the door check.

It is an object of the invention to construct a balanced door combination having a door check with separable driving and driven elements providing solely contacting surfaces therebetween and to divide the mounting frame which carries the check, into an inner and outer section with the inner section carrying the door hinge bearing and the outer section carrying the check cylinder so that removal of the outer section from the lintel removes the check cylinder for any inspection, repair or replacement thereof which may be necessary.

Another object is to construct a door mounting and check mechanism for a balanced-type of door with the features set forth above.

A still further object is to construct a two sectional mounting frame unit having hinge pivot means on one section for a balanced-type of door mechanism and a check cylinder on the other section and having a separable connection of solely contacting surfaces between the hinge means and the check means.

Other objects of the invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a general view showing the essential elements of construction of a balanced door mounting;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the door check means;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2 showing the mounting frame and the check means; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1, through the lintel of a door frame and the mounting frame therein.

A balanced door combination or construction has hinge means for mounting the door and includes a hinge, shown as including a tubular post or member 10, which is usually mounted within the jamb or vertical side member of the door frame F and an upper arm 11 and lower arm 12 which are secured to the tubular member. The hinge means has a lower hinge bearing 13 of any suitable kind, secured to the floor to support the lower end of the hinge and an upper hinge bearing 14 to support the upper end of the hinge, as will appear. A suitable door closing spring 15 is also provided, that shown being within the tubular hinge member and has the lower end 16 anchored to a fixed part or spring anchor 17 which projects into the lower end of the hinge. The upper end 18 of the closing spring is suitably secured to the hinge such as by an upper anchor 19 and pin 20 engaging in a slot 23 so that when the hinge pivots upon opening of the door, the closing spring is further tensioned to swing the door closed when the door is released. Usually, suitable means is provided to put some initial tension or torque into this door closing spring by turning and holding or locking the spring anchor 17 at the bottom hinge bearing. The upper arm is secured to the upper part of the hinge by means of a hub 21 carried by the arm which is suitably secured within the hinge tube and a hub 22 on the lower arm which is secured within the bottom part of the hinge tube.

Door pivot means 26 is carried by the outer end of the lower arm and has a cooperating part 31 within the lower edge of the door. Door pivot means 27 is carried by the outer end of the upper arm 11 and has a cooperating part 31 within the upper edge of the door. The c0- operating parts 30 and 31 of each pivot means which is carried by the door are on a vertical axis which is spaced between the vertical edges of the door and preferably located nearer to the vertical edge which is adjacent to the hinge. The characteristic of a balanced door is that it both pivots on the pivot means and swings on the arms as the arms swing with the opening of the door.

Secured within the lintel L of the door frame is a mounting frame 35 which carries the upper bearing 14 for the door hinge, a door check means, and a guide which forms a part of a guide means to swing or guide the door in its opening movement. The mounting frame is divided into an inner section 36 and an outer section 37 which sections are separable at a point between the ends of the mounting frame. The inner section carries the door hinge 14. The two sections have at their abutting ends, interengaging flanges 38 and screws 39 which secure the flanges together. The guide means may take several forms and that shown includes a channel 40 as a guide which faces downwardly or is carried on the outer face of the mounting frame, and extends radially outwardly from the hinge bearing or is in alignment with the door when the door is in closed position. With a channel as a guide the guide means includes a guide roller 41 which is carried within the upper edge of the door and projects thereabove to engage in the channel. The guide roller is located outwardly from the door pivot means 27, 31 carried by the upper arm 11 and is located on the door a distance from the door pivot means approximately equal to or a little greater than the length of the arm. This mounting frame is suitably secured to the lintel such as by being secured to a supporting member 42 by screws 43. The supporting member is suitably secured within the lintel. Screws 44 at the end of the inner section also aids in securing the frame member to the lintel.

The door check is carried by this mounting frame and includes an hydraulic cylinder 48 carried by the outer section on the inner face thereof. The cylinder has a piston 49 slidable therein. A piston rod 50 has one end thereof secured to the piston and projects from the cylinder head 51. A separable connection of any suitable kind is provided between the door hinge and the piston rod which provides contacting surfaces solely between the driving and driven elements of the check means and does not require removal of any screws, pins and the like in order to separate them. The separable connection illustrated includes a driving element 52, shown as a cam, secured to the end of the hinge and a driven element 53 shown as a cam follower or roller, carried on the end of the piston rod and engaging the cam. The cam follower is mounted on a screw 54 carried by a bracket 55 which is secured to the end of the piston rod by a screw 56. The cam surface and the cam follower are located between the pivot means and the check cylinder. A spring 57, shown within the cylinder, propels the piston and the piston rod in a direction to keep the driven element or cam follower 53 in constant contact with the driving element or cam 52.

The connection described results in a smooth operation as well as one without backlash hence noiseless operation. Also there is no need to provide structure to accommodate for wear or inaccuracies in manufacture. The advantage of the cam as a driving element is that it can be shaped to give the piston the desired type of movement such as fast starting check movement and slower movement as the door approaches closed position. The cylinder is secured to the outer section of the mounting frame by screws 58 so that the entire cylinder may be removed and inserted from the lintel with the outer section of the mounting frame merely by unscrewing the screws 43 which secure this section to the door frame lintel. The abutting end-s of the frame sections with their interengaging flanges and screws makes the sections into a unitary mounting frame.

It is desirable to provide supporting means to support the projecting end of the piston rod in a lateral direction. ThlS supporting means includes a bearing plate 62, such as of good wearing plastic, secured to the inner section of the mounting frame by screws 63 and engaging the projecting end of the piston, such as the side of the roller bracket 55. This supporting means is a separable means also, so that it does not interfere with the removal of the outer section of the mounting frame from the lintel L and the check cylinder carried thereby.

In order to make mounting of the door and the door mechanism easier and simpler, the hinge includes an extension 72 of the tubular member which is separable therefrom. This extension is mounted in the upper hinge bearing 14 such as by roller bearings 71 and 73. The tubular member has a splined or keyed connecting element or pin 66 at its upper end which is slidably received in a splined or keyed hole 65 in the upper arm 11. This connecting pin is dropped down into the tubular member before assembly. A splined or keyed socket 67 is provided for the extension to receive the splined connecting pin when the latter is shifted upwardly. When the splined element is raised into the socket, it is then locked in raised or engaging position by tightening a screw or pin 68 which is slidable in a slot 69 in the tubular member 10. The connecting element is preferably doubly locked in raised position by inserting a second lock screw or pin 70 into the connecting pin which second screw engages the bottom of the slot. With this construction, the lower and upper hinge bearings may be mounted in place and the tubular member of the hinge may be mounted thereafter. The cam 52 is secured to the shaft 72 such as by a pin 75. The roller bearing 73 is carried by a bearing plate 74 forming a part of the mounting frame and secured in place by screws 76. The connecting element provides a driving connection between the arm 11 or tubular member and the cam.

The hydraulic check cylinder may be of any single acting type which permits opening of the door without restraint and checks the closing movement first by relatively free or some restraint in the initial closing and as the door approaches closed position, the restraint is applied or substantially increased so that the final closing movement is slow. Such hydraulic cylinders are well known. A suitable open door bumper means which is primarily a spring 77 one end of which is attached to a slider 78, is provided at the inner end of the channel and carried by the inner section to be engaged by the guide roller 41 as the door reaches full open position. A cam bumper 79 is mounted on inner section of the mounting frame to be engaged by the cam when the door is adjacent to full open position.

This invention is presented to fill a need for improvements in a Separable Check Means for Balanced Door. It is understood tht various modifications in structure, as well as changes in mode of operation, assembly, and manner of use, may and often do occur to those skilled in the art, especially after benefiting from the teachings of an invention. This disclosure illustrates the preferred means of embodying the invention in useful form.

What is claimed is:

1. A balanced door mechanism for a door having a top edge, a bottom edge and side edges which door is to be mounted in a door frame having a lintel comprising door hinge means including a hinge adapted to be carried in a door frame, the hinge having an upper end and a lower end, lower bearing means pivotally mounting the lower end of the hinge, upper bearing means pivotally mounting the upper end of the hinge, arm means including an upper arm secured to the upper end of the hinge and having an outer end, a lower arm secured to the lower end of the hinge and having an outer end, and door pivot means carried by the outer end of each arm; a mounting frame adapted to be secured to the lintel of the door frame and having an upper face and a lower face including a guide extending longitudinally of the mounting frame on the lower face and having ends, the mounting frame being separably divided between the ends thereof and of the guide into an inner section and an outer section with the adjacent ends of the sections abutting each other and being separably secured in abutting relation, and the upper hinge bearing being carried by the inner section; check means including a check cylinder carried by the outer section on the inner face thereof, a piston slidable within the cylinder, a piston rod secured at one end to the piston and projecting outwardly from the cylinder towards the upper hinge bearing and having an outer end, spring means propelling the piston in a direction towards the upper hinge bearing, a separable operating connection connecting the hinge and the piston rod providing solely contacting surfaces located between the hinge and the check cylinder including a driving element connected with the door hinge to be tumed thereby and having a contacting surface, and a driven element secured to the outer end of the piston rod and having a contacting surface engaging the surface of the driving element; and cooperating means for the guide adapted to be carried by the upper edge of the door and spaced outwardly from the door pivot means and engaging the guide to control the movement of the door.

2. A balanced door mechanism as in claim 1 in which the abutting ends of the sections have interengaging flanges, and means securing the flanges together.

3. A balanced door mechanism as in claim 1 including supporting means carried by the inner section of the mounting frame and laterally supporting the outer end of the piston rod, the supporting means solely contacting laterally the outer end of the piston rod and being separable therefrom upon removal of the outer section of the mounting frame from a lintel.

4. A balanced door mechanism as in claim 1 in which the driving element is a cam and the driven element includes a bracket carried by the outer end of the piston rod, and a cam follower carried by the bracket.

5. A balanced door mechanism as in claim 4 in which the bracket has a side, and a vertical bearing plate carried by the inner section of the mounting frame and solely contacting the side of the bracket for separation therefrom upon longitudinal removal of the outer section and for supporting the piston rod laterally.

6. A balanced door mechanism as in claim 1 in which the hinge includes a hinge member, an extension mounted in the upper hinge bearing, connecting means carried by the hinge member and the extension including a connecting element carried by the hinge member and retractible thereon and providing a driving connection between the hinge member and the extension when raised, and the extension carrying the driving element.

7. A balanced door combination as in claim 1 including a door having a top edge and a bottom edge and a side edge, the upper arm pivot means being secured to the top edge of the door, the lower arm pivot means being secured to the bottom edge of the door, the pivot means being on a vertical axis spaced from a side edge of the door, and cooperating means carried 'by the upper edge of the door spaced outwardly from the pivot means for the upper arm and engaging the guide carried by the mounting frame to control the swinging movement of the door.

8. A mounting frame unit for a balanced door mechanism adapted to be secured to the lintel of a door frame comprising a mounting frame having an inner face and an outer face, a guide carried on the outer face of the mounting frame and having ends, the mounting frame be ing separably divided between the ends of the guide into an inner section and an outer section with the adjacent ends of the sections abutting each other and being separably secured in abutting relation, hinge bearing means carried by the inner section of the mounting frame, an hydraulic check including a cylinder carried by the outer section on the inner face thereof, a piston within the cylinder, a piston rod having one end secured to the piston and an outer end, a spring propelling the piston in a direction towards the hinge bearing means, and a separable operating connection for the check means located between the hinge bearing means and the cylinder with solely surface contact including a driving element mounted for pivotal movement in the hinge bearing means and having a surface, and a driven element carried by the outer end of the piston rod and having a surface, and the operating connection being solely surface contact between the driving element and the driven element.

9. A mounting frame unit as in claim 8 including an extension of the hinge pivotally mounted in the upper hinge bearing, a connecting socket carried by the extension, and the driving element being secured to the extension.

10. A mounting frame unit as in claim 9 in which the driving element is a cam and including a bracket carried by the outer end of the piston rod, and the driven element is a cam roller carried by the bracket.

11. A mounting frame as in claim 10 including supporting means carried by the inner section and engaging solely the side of the bracket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,019,527 11/1935 Ellison 49-386 XR 2,059,143 10/1936 Renwick 49251 XR 2,082,455 6/1937 Lasier 16-70 XR 2,637,877 5/ 1953 Hanssen 49-251 XR 3,124,848 3/ 1964 Wheeler et al 49-386 XR 3,266,191 8/1966 Dugan 1670 XR KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner. 

